I really wasn’t sure what to expect from an event like this. Yes, there were amazing looking actors and actresses in fantastic looking clothes. Yes, there was a flurry of cameras and interviewers all angling to get the right shot. Yes, there were sound bytes and talking points and an effort to tell the story of the making of this movie.

But what struck me most were the families.

Moms’ Night Out is a movie made by families for families. Don’t let that title fool you — this isn’t a chick flick aimed only at a single demographic. At its core, Moms’ Night Out has a message that prioritizes the love shared by every member of a family: husbands, wives, children, neighbors, in-laws, and even pets!

Without getting into too much of a review, I just want to share what a joy it was to interact with the fine cast and crew who are a part of this project. Several times, the men involved in Moms’ Night Out called this film a tribute to their own wives and mothers. Leading this theme were the film’s co-Directors Jon and Andy Erwin, both of whom paid great respects to their own wives.

Moms’ Night Out director Andy Erwin with his lovely wife.

Another favorite moment of mine was watching Sean Astin come down the red carpet with his beautiful family. Sean made a point of discussing how important this film is for the men who will see it, underscoring the value of the role every father plays in the life of his family.

Sean Astin with his family.

Will Moms’ Night Out win awards or break box office records? That remains to be seen.

Will this movie make a difference? Absolutely!

Last night’s red carpet celebration of work well done had at its heart a recurring theme — this is a movie by families for families. This is a film intended to lift up, to entertain, and to encourage those of us who are embroiled in the daily challenge of raising and loving our own families.

I hope you’ll plan to treat yourself to a trip to the movies for opening weekend, which just happens to coincide with Mother’s Day. Why? First of all, because if we want great, family-friendly films, we need to go out and support them.

But even more importantly, I hope you moms and dads will take your children and go see this movie for the fun, inspirational pep-talk it truly is. Your life as a mom, a dad, a daughter or son, a brother or sister matters.

What we do in families and for families matters.

And that’s worth a red carpet celebration any day!

Here at CatholicMom.com, we’ll be celebrating this movie with reviews from ten different moms. Watch for this celebration of families starting tomorrow, May 1! For more information on Moms’ Night Out, visit www.MomsNightOutMovie.com.

About Author

Lisa M. Hendey is the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com and the bestselling author of the Chime Travelers children's fiction series, The Grace of Yes, The Handbook for Catholic Moms and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. As a board member and frequent host on KNXT Catholic Television, Lisa has produced and hosted multiple programs and has appeared on EWTN and CatholicTV. Hendey hosted “Catholic Moments” on Radio Maria and is the technology contributor for EWTN’s SonRise Morning Show. Lisa's articles have appeared in Catholic Digest, National Catholic Register, and Our Sunday Visitor. Hendey travels internationally giving workshops on faith, family, and Catholic technology and communications topics. She was selected as an Elizabeth Egan Journalism Fellow, attended the Vatican Bloggers Meeting, the “Bishops and Bloggers” meeting and has written internationally on the work of Catholic Relief Services and Unbound. Hendey lives with her family in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Visit Lisa at www.LisaHendey.com for information on her speaking schedule or to invite her to visit your group, parish or organization.

10 Comments

You saw (or met?) Sean Astin?? How totally cool! My brother-in-law Tim who directs for the Simpsons recently met Sean’s mom Patty Duke whom Tim has admired for years. I’ll share the pic he took with her on your Facebook page. We visited Tim and his wife with our grown kids a couple of years ago (a last very sweet family vacation) and have been right where you were so I felt like I was there as I watched your FB updates. You do indeed have a blessed, fun life!

Susan, he was very down to earth and it was just super fun to watch him with his wife and children. One of those surreal moments when you just think to yourself, “wow, this is cool!” Honestly the best part was getting to watch the cast and crew who have worked so diligently on this project enjoy it together with their families.

I lived vicariously through your facebook posts yesterday, Lisa! It was exciting to see how excited you were! It was a beautiful moment to see captured through your eyes! Thank you for posting, and I can’t wait to take the family to see the film!

I think you’ll love it Mary. And you know it’s funny, I’m not a huge Hollywood person — but I loved being at this party because it was so family oriented. The main people behind the film all had this truly great “Wow!” appreciation for the joy of seeing what they’d created and sharing it with everyone else. It was really just extremely awesomely cool.